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Bart Stupak
| birth_place =Milwaukee, Wisconsin | state = Michigan | district = 1st | term_start = January 3, 1993 | term_end = January 3, 2011 | preceded = Bob DavisCongressional districts in Michigan underwent major changes following the 1990 census. Prior to 1990, the 1st district had been in the Metro Detroit area, represented by John Conyers. After 1990, the 1st district encompassed the Upper Peninsula and much of Northern Michigan, areas that were formerly part of the 11th district. The previous representative for these areas was Bob Davis. | succeeded = Dan Benishek | party =Democratic Party | religion = Roman Catholic | spouse = Laurie Ann Stupak | children = Ken Stupak Bartholomew Thomas Stupak Jr.(deceased) | residence= Menominee, Michigan | alma_mater= Northwestern Michigan College (A.A.), Saginaw Valley State University (B.S.), Thomas Cooley Law School (J.D.) | occupation= Police Officer }} Bartholomew Thomas "Bart" Stupak ( ; born February 29, 1952) is an American politician and lobbyist. A member of the Democratic Party, Stupak served as the U.S. Representative from from 1993 to 2011. Stupak chose not to seek re-election in 2010. He departed Congress in January 2011, and was succeeded by Dan Benishek, a Republican from the Upper Peninsula. Stupak is now a lobbyist with Venable LLP.Carney, Timothy (April 11, 2011) Reforming your way to riches: Stupak gets his big K St. payday, Washington Examiner Early life, education and career Stupak was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and graduated from Gladstone High School in Gladstone, Michigan in 1970. He is an Eagle Scout. He earned his Associate's degree from Northwestern Michigan College, a community college in Traverse City in 1972. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Saginaw Valley State University in 1977, graduating magna cum laude, and he earned a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan in 1981. He worked as an Escanaba police officer in 1972. Stupak later served as a Michigan State Police Trooper from 1973 to 1984. He also practiced law. Michigan legislature In 1988, Stupak was elected a Michigan State Representative, representing Menominee, Delta, and Dickinson counties, defeating two-term Republican Jim Connors. In 1990, Stupak ran for state senator but lost a hotly contested primary to eventual general election winner Don Koivisto. U.S. House of Representatives Committee assignments *'Committee on Energy and Commerce' **Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection **Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet **Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation (Chairman) Caucus memberships *Founder and Co-chair of the Law Enforcement Caucus *Co-chair of the Congressional Northern Border Caucus *Member, Congressional Motorcycle Safety Caucus During his service in Congress, Stupak sponsored 36 bills, but none became law. He cosponsored 157 bills, 5 of which were enacted into law. He voted with the members of his party 96% of the time, andabstained from 5% of the votes. Because of the 1st District's extensive amount of Great Lakes shoreline (over 1,600 miles), Stupak was very active on issues related to the protection of the Great Lakes, including opposing sale or diversion of Great Lakes water and drilling for oil and gas under the lakes.OpenCongress.org – Stupak voting record Political positions Financial system In 2009, Stupak voted against the Dodd-Frank Act, which expanded Federal regulation and oversight of the US financial system in the aftermath of the US financial and banking crisis of that year.Project vote Smart, Bart Stupak voting record, http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=26912 Civil liberties Stupak voted for the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, which expanded the definition of hate crimes to include crimes motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity.Project Vote Smart, http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=26244&can_id=26912 Health care Stupak expressed a desire to support the 2009 health care reform bill put forth by President Obama, but wanted restrictions on coverage for abortion. Therefore, Stupak and Republican Congressman Joseph R. Pitts submitted an amendment known as the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to prohibit such payments. The Stupak-Pitts Amendment was adopted by the House of Representatives, but a similar anti-abortion provision was defeated in the Senate version of the legislation (known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). Stupak announced that he and several other Democratic representatives who supported health reform legislation but opposed abortion would not vote for the final version of the legislation unless the Stupak-Pitts Amendment was included. The ensuing controversy made Stupak "perhaps the single most important rank-and-file House member in passing the bill." Abortion-rights advocates held a "Stop Stupak" rally on Capitol Hill in December 2009. In the ensuing months, Stupak publicly stated that the pressure and opposition he received in regard to his abortion stance on the health reform legislation had caused him to unplug the phone at his house due to "obscene phone calls and threats" and had made his life a "living hell." "My staff is overwhelmed and we're accosted basically wherever we go by people who disagree," Stupak added. In March 2010, President Obama and Stupak reached an understanding whereby the President promised to sign an Executive Order barring federal funding of abortion through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and Stupak and several of his allies promised to withdraw their opposition to the bill. Anti-abortion groups accused Stupak of betraying the pro-life movement, and the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List revoked an award it had planned to give to him and instead ran $150,000 worth of radio advertisements against him. Stupak was targeted by the Tea Party movement in the wake of his compromise. In April 2010, Stupak announced his intention to retire from Congress, leading conservative groups to point to the political consequences of his compromise as a possible reason for his decision. However, Stupak himself attributed his retirement to the exertion of constant travel back and forth from Washington, D.C.http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/35585.html Controversies Apartment controversy Stupak rented a room at "C Street", a Washington, D.C. facility of The Fellowship (also known as The Family), a Christian fraternal organization.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/35718090#35718090Parnes, Amie (February 2, 2010). "C Street Cash Questioned." Politico. Retrieved on March 5, 2010 The Fellowship has been the subject of controversy over its claimed tax status as a church, the ownership of the property and its connection to the Fellowship, and the reportedly subsidized benefits the facility provides to members of Congress.http://www.politico.com/static/PPM116_im.html Jeff Sharlet, author of a book about The Fellowship, said, "When I lived with The Family at Ivanwald, a house for younger men being groomed for leadership, I was told that Stupak was a regular visitor to the Cedars." The Cedars, according to the Washington Independent, is also owned by The Family and hosts weekly prayer events.Washington Independent Stupak has denied any affiliation with the Family and appeared to deny knowledge of the organization, stating "I don’t belong to any such group" and that "I don’t know what you’re talking about, The Family and all this other stuff."Brayton, Ed (July 23, 2009). "Stupak denies knowledge of connections to mysterious ‘C Street’ house he lives in." Michigan Messenger. Retrieved on March 5, 2010. Political campaigns In 1992, incumbent Republican Representative Robert William Davis retired. He had represented the Michigan 11th Congressional district, covering the Upper Peninsula, which due to reapportionment was now the 1st district. Stupak won the heavily contested Democratic primary, and defeated former Republican Representative Philip Ruppe in the general election. Stupak defeated Republican Don Hooper of Iron River in the 2002, 2004 and 2006 elections, and Republican Tom Casperson In 2008.2008 Official Michigan General Election Results – 1st District Representative in Congress On April 9, 2010, Stupak announced that he would not run for re-election, and that he would retire from Congress at the end of his then-current term. Campaign funding Electric utilities and health care professionals were among the top four industries contributing to his campaigns in 2006, 2008 and 2010.Center for Responsive Politics, http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=Career&cid=N00004196&type=I Of his top 20 largest contributors throughout his political career, 16 were unions and associations, two were energy companies, one was an insurance company and one was a telecommunications firm.Center for Responsive Politics, http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=Career&cid=N00004196&type=I Electoral history *'1992 Democratic primary for Congress' **Bart Stupak, 48.63% **Mike McElroy, 43.11% **Daniel Herringa, 8.27% *'1992 general election' **Bart Stupak (D), 53.93% **Philip Ruppe ®, 43.58% **Gerald Aydlott (L), 1.52% **Lyman Clark (NL), 0.96% *'1994 general election' **Bart Stupak (D), 56.86% **Gil Ziegler ®, 41.99% **Michael McPeak (NL), 1.12% *'1996 general election' **Bart Stupak (D), 70.68% **Bob Carr ®, 27.24% **Michael C. Oleniczak (L), 1.10% **Wendy Conway (NL), 0.96% *'1998 general election' **Bart Stupak (D), 58.67% **Michelle McManus ®, 39.51% **John W. Loosemore (L), 1.04% **Wendy Conway (NL), 0.78% *'2000 general election' **Bart Stupak (D), 58.39% **Chuck Yob ®, 40.37% **Wendy Conway (NL), 0.63% **John W. Loosemore (L), 0.61% **Sven Johnson (I), 0.01% *'2002 campaign for Congress' **Bart Stupak (D), 67.67% **Don Hooper ®, 31.10% **John W. Loosemore (L), 1.23% *'2004 general election' **Bart Stupak (D), 65.57% **Don Hooper ®, 32.76% **David J. Newland (G), 0.96% **John W. Loosemore (L), 0.71% *'2006 general election' **Bart Stupak (D), 69.43% **Don Hooper ®, 27.99% **Joshua J. Warren (Tax.), 0.88% **David J. Newland (G), 0.87% **Kenneth L. Proctor (L), 0.85% *'2008 general election' **Bart Stupak (D), 65.04% **Tom Casperson ®, 32.74% **Jean Treacy (S/G), 0.81% **Dan Grow (L), 0.77% **Joshua J. Warren (Tax.), 0.63% Personal life Stupak lives in Menominee, Michigan, with his wife, Laurie, who is a former mayor of Menominee, and unsuccessful candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives. Laurie Stupak was defeated by Tom Casperson. In 2008 Casperson unsuccessfully challenged Bart Stupak, the incumbent for Michigan's 1st Congressional district seat in the United States House of Representatives. The Stupaks' son Ken graduated from Pepperdine University's School of Law in 2006 and resides in California. Their other son, Bart Jr., committed suicide in May 2000. Congressman Stupak testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee during a 2002 hearing on the safety of Accutane, an acne medication, which he believes contributed to his son's death. References External links *Bart Stupak for Congress official campaign site * *"Divine Impulses: Rep. Bart Stupak on pro-life political 'hypocrisy'", video interview with Sally Quinn from The Washington Post Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:People from Milwaukee, Wisconsin Category:American state police officers Category:Eagle Scouts Category:Members of the Michigan House of Representatives Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Category:Michigan Democrats Category:Northwestern Michigan College Category:Saginaw Valley State University alumni Category:Spouses of United States mayors Category:Thomas M. Cooley Law School alumni Category:American Roman Catholics cs:Bart Stupak de:Bart Stupak sv:Bart Stupak uk:Барт Ступак